It is important to remember that, when you seek to hire the best candidates for a job, they will be evaluating you, your department and your company just as you will be evaluating them. Your behavior in the interviewing process can be just as important as the candidate's in determining your success in landing the best candidate.

In addition, your -- and your staff's -- behaviors towards the candidate up until they start on the job can also prove to be important.

The first step in hiring the best candidate for a job is the screening process. This begins with a review of the resumes of interested candidates -- either by the HR Department and/or by the hiring manager. This process removes from consideration candidates who clearly do not meet the requirements for the position, based on their resume. This is followed by a "screening conversation" between remaining candidates and the hiring manager to further reduce the number of applicants to only those worth serious consideration.

Preparation for hiring top talent has to begin even before there is an opening to fill.

One of the first, and very important, tasks of a new manager is to begin to evaluate the staffing and structure of their department to ensure it is aligned so as to be most effective in meeting the goals and objectives of their new department. Initially, this consists largely of systematically observing and listening to clients, management, and high-performing staff to identify the department's strengths and, more importantly, weaknesses. Only then, and in discussions with their management, staff and customers, should the new manager begin to make needed changes. These changes must be made cautiously, being sensitive to the feelings and perceptions of the more valuable staff, so that the changes are seen in a positive light.

Department Climate is essentially how the staff interact and treat one another as well as how they interact with clients and others outside of the department. 

A positive, respectful climate is essential to the successful functioning of your area. A negative working environment can handicap any department.

Ideally, you want to create or reinforce a climate where staff treat each other with dignity and respect, listen actively, ask productive questions, communicate constructively with candor and openness, and where staff feel support and have a strong connection to their work.

Everyone has clients -- that is who your department serves whether they are outside of your company or inside. Your first meeting with your client or clients after you move into your manager role is critical for setting the tone of your ongoing relationship with that client. In this episode we discuss the mood and tone you want to strive to set with your client. Even if you have been working with them before your promotion, as with everyone else, they will see you differently in your new role and you need to take advantage of the change to build or reinforce a positive, productive relationship with the client. We tell you have to do that.

The first meeting with your new boss can be one of the most important meetings you have. Even if you have worked with the person in the past, you are both in new roles vis a vis each other and this is the beginning of that new relationship. So it is important to start it off right. The first thing to remember is that it is the boss's meeting and you need to let them take the lead in terms of what is discussed and how the conversation flows. Nevertheless, you also want to be prepared by doing as much research as you can on both the boss and the department you will now be leading. You want to have a list of questions about such things as the boss's goals for the department, the relationship of the department to its clients, its strengths and weaknesses and any information about the prior leader of the department in terms of management style, etc. You also want to have as much information as you can on these issues so that you are able,if the opportunity arises, to show that you have done your preparation for the meeting. However, it is important that you only ask these questions and show this preparation, if and when the opportunity comes up. Above all, you must let the new boss set the tone and agenda for the first meeting and be prepared to come away with none of your questions answered if that is how the meeting goes. You will have other opportunities.

Listening is probably one of the most important skills a manager can have and most people feel they are good listeners. However, many are not. In this episode we discuss techniques for good listening and why they are important.

Everyone has clients. It is critical, no matter what your function, that you clearly understand who your clients are, what your clients need from your department and how to best meet those client needs. Clients can be in the company (e.g., other departments, company employees, etc.) or outside (i.e., those who buy your company's products or services). What is important is that you have a clear idea of who they are and how your department is meant to serve their needs. It is also important that you build an on-going relationship with your client(s) so that you are constantly aware of their needs and how well your department is or is not meeting them.

We discuss how to develop connections with coworkers and team members which is the all-important first step in developing successful and mutually rewarding personal relationships at work. We discuss the challenges in building such connections and relationships with one's staff. We also discuss ways of doing a self-evaluation of your efforts at building and maintaining workplace relationships at all levels.